F Color Diamonds: Beauty and Brightness Without Hue | LearningJewelry.com™ (2024)

• Are F color diamonds good?
• What’s the difference between F and G color diamonds?
• How can I get an F color diamond for cheaper?

What is an F Color Diamond?

An F color diamond is a diamond whose color grade has been assigned as colorless. A F diamond grade is the last grade in the colorless diamond range. Colorless diamonds consist of D, E, and F color grades.

F diamond color grades are a higher color grade and are considered to be more valuable. These diamonds should not have any detectable tint for the average person. A diamond grader grades F diamonds at 10x magnification. F diamonds tend to be ever so slightly more tinted than D and E color diamonds.

What Diamond Color Means for Your Diamond

When diamonds form in the earth, they come into contact with all sorts of impurities. Sometimes its other elements replacing atoms in the crystal structure, and other times it can be minerals creating inclusions. In this case, the inclusions would affect the clarity of your diamond, which is another major quality factor in diamond quality.

The GIA Color Scale for Colorless Diamonds

The Gemological Institute of America is the industry's world renown source for diamonds and gemstones. They also provide GIA certified diamonds to various diamond retailers around the world.

The GIA sets all the standards and grading charts for the industry. This includes the scale for color grades. The GIA Color Grade Scale consists of letter grades in groups as colorless, near colorless, faint yellow, and light yellow.

Completely colorless diamonds are extremely rare, especially in large carat weights. A 2 carat D color diamond can cost upwards of $30,000 to over $100,000.

You should also know that yellow tinted diamonds are not the same thing as yellow colored diamonds. Fancy yellow diamonds are often marketed as "canary diamonds". These are not the same as yellow tinted diamonds on the D-Z scale.

Fancy yellow diamonds have equal saturation and vivid yellow colors

F Color diamond vs E Color Diamonds

An E color diamond grade is one grade higher than an F diamond. Without specialized equipment, it's difficult for the average consumer to detect a color difference between an E and F color diamond with the naked eye.

Both color diamonds are in the colorless color range. Diamond graders must compare an E diamond and F color diamond to a master set of stones under 10x magnification in order to tell them apart. It's actually very difficult to detect color difference in with color grades that are side by side.

The price difference between the two grades isn't huge, unless there's a difference in other grades. You can expect a 5 to 10% decrease in cost when choosing an F color grade instead of an E color diamond.

F Color Diamond vs G Color Diamonds

G color diamonds are one grade below F colored diamonds. Such diamonds are the first letter grade of the near colorless range.

Typically it's easier to notice the difference between every other color grade rather than side by side letter grades. Much easier to notice the difference between a G diamond and F color grade than it is from an F color diamond and D diamond.

But as you travel further down the line, it does become easier to notice the yellow and brown tint. But with the naked eye, you may think a diamond is colorless all the way down to an I color grade. And the price difference between a D and I color diamond is a lot.

When comparing F diamonds to G color diamond price, you'll notice a bigger difference than with E and F color diamonds. Expect a decrease of 10% to 15% in cost when choosing a G color diamond over an F color diamond.

Remember, it's not just one letter grade difference. You're going down a whole color range. Going from colorless to near colorless drops the price a little more.

Still hard to tell the difference, huh?

That's not always the case though. Pictures can't tell you the depth of the color. Color tint can reveal itself at different angles, so it's important to review 360˚ videos of your diamond that allow you to see the diamond in real time.

How Much Does an F Diamond Cost?

Diamonds in the colorless range have very little to no yellow or brown tint in the diamond. This is really rare, and the value increases as the carat weight does. Unfortunately, so does the price.

If you're just comparing color grades, it's a safe assumption that most F color diamonds aren't as expensive as D or E color grades.

But if other quality factors are different, an F color diamond might be more expensive than an E color diamond. Some of the factors that affect diamond prices include:

• Diamond shape
• Certificate Laboratory
• Branded Diamonds(Hearts on Fire, Leo First Light, Sakura Diamond)
• Specialty Cuts (Super Ideal Cut Diamonds, Hearts and Arrows)
• Buying in-store vs Online
• Fluorescence (another color effect in diamonds)
• Lab grown diamonds vs Mined Diamonds

All of these different factors have their own levels and charts, which can all affect diamond prices. Some have larger impacts like carat weight, and others not as much, like diamond fluorescence.

Fluorescence is the way a diamond can glow under UV light, such as black lighting or in direct sunlight. Strong fluorescent diamonds can offset some of the yellow tint in a diamond color grade that's lower. Your diamond may appear more of a very light blue in strong sunlight.

Diamond color grades affect your diamond's price, but not as much as from one clarity grade to another. You can expect around a 10%-30% increase from the near colorless range to the colorless range. The average price of a 1 carat F color diamond may range between $4,500-$9,000.

How to Save on an F Color Diamond Cost with Lab Diamonds

$4500 may be a lot to some people. If that's you, I definitely recommend you check out F color lab created diamonds.

There's a lot of misconceptions about lab grown diamonds. Lab diamonds are real diamonds that have been produced in a laboratory setting rather than in the ground. Scientists are able to simulate the same conditions it takes for diamonds to crystallize underground.

They are not diamond imitations and have all the same features and caveats as natural diamonds. Lab grown diamonds follow the same color scale as well.

Their isolated environment makes it easier to produce diamonds with less noticeable inclusions and less color tint. Make no mistake, you can still find light yellow colorless lab grown diamonds, but it's less likely you'll see these in a real life setting or at major online retailers.

The best part about buying lab grown diamonds is that they come at a 20-40% discount than mined diamonds of the same quality. The mining process is very expensive, whereas lab grown diamond production isn't as much.

You should know that F color diamond worth on the resale front isn't much. Most lab diamonds don't qualify for trade-ups as natural diamonds often do in a retail setting.

Are F Color Diamonds Worth the Money?

Here's why I don't feel it's absolutely necessary to buy F color diamond engagement rings.

At the end of the day, no matter what color diamond grade you choose, it doesn't compromise the durability of your diamond. In my opinion, the integrity and structure of your diamond is most important. Even lower quality natural diamonds cost $1,000 and up.

I don't know about you, but $1,000 is a chunk of money that I'm not wanting to waste. So I tend to prioritize other diamond factors. More of my budget will go toward excellent cut quality rather than a higher color diamond or higher carat weight.

After that, I tend to have a preference toward higher clarity grades, but you're more than welcome to choose color grades or carat size if that's more important to you. The average carat weight for an engagement ring is between 1-2 carats, so that's usually my limit.

Once I find a high clarity diamond with excellent cut quality between my desired carat weight, I consider the color grade. The differences between color grades are so slight that I don't really consider the letter grade.

I just look at loose diamonds whose tint isn't prevalent. I find the best way to do this is by utilizing 360˚ viewers. Looking at your diamond at different angles that you control is a great way to identify yellow or brown tint in your diamond. You can also zoom out to see what it might look like further away.

If you're shopping in-stores, keep in mind that the lighting inside jewelry stores is made to showcase the brilliance and sparkle of the diamond. You might find that a lower color grade appears brighter in-store than it does in other types of lighting once you leave the store.

If you want to fool the naked eye further, you should consider a single stone setting instead of a ring setting with side stones. They are often better color grade because they're smaller and can make the center diamond's appearance look darker. A halo engagement ring setting is a perfect example of this.

If able, you should view the diamond color in different kinds of lighting. When buying diamonds online, you can't really do that. But as an extra precaution, just make sure that the retailer you're considering has a good and EASY return policy.

Many people just skim over return policies and see the amount of days rather than the details of the process or any exclusions. Then they rage when they find out they can't return an unliked engagement ring. So do yourself a favor, always read the return and exchange policy before buying an engagement ring from anyone.

Why F Color Diamonds Might Not Be the Best Choice for Your Engagement Ring

It's not that I think an F colored diamond isn't a great quality diamond. I just don't think a diamond color grade should get more attention than other grades of your diamond.

Choosing an F colored diamond will ensure your diamond looks white without much detection of tint. If you want this, make sure you're choosing a white gold or platinum setting for F color diamonds. Yellow or rose gold settings can make your F color diamond look darker than it is.

If you're like me and a F color diamond isn't as important to you, there's a couple tips you can use to make a lower color grade appear higher. Yellow gold and rose gold ring settings can make a center diamond color appear whiter than it actually is.

In this case, diamond color grades in the near colorless range and faint yellow range can give you a discount though they appear brighter and whiter than they are. In the same respect, white gold or platinum settings can make the diamond look more tinted.

Finding the perfect diamond is more about personal preferences than simply choosing a letter off the diamond color grading scale. Yes, higher grades increase the cost and value of your diamond, but it's not necessary to spend a ton of money with the highest grades.

You shouldn't choose the lowest grades either. Yes, it's a lower price, but you'll be stuck with an ugly diamond. Not only will the diamond's appearance be lackluster, but cut quality can make it vulnerable.

All I'm saying that it takes a healthy balance of diamond grades in order to find a high quality diamond for a great price. Take your time, utilize the tips, and you'll find a beautiful diamond in no time!